Pandora's Heart
by angel 0f darknes
Summary: Is there such a thing in this world?  At the tender age of 18, as the world is shook to a bloody end, Sakura meet him once again.  How can love prevail and for them to be together forever when the end is so near? SxS Full summary inside.
1. Chapter 1

**_Disclaimer_**_**: **_I can only wish that I owe CCS and sadly, I don't. If I do, I would draw/make another manga/anime series focusing on the beautiful love between Syaoran and Sakura, but I guess they did just that with Tsubasa Chronicle though. That certainly quenched my thirst! (Or maybe not since I'm writing this...Going off topic it seem, anyway) But currently, this seems undoable since I am a poor student and that is why I _'Unleash My Imagination'_ here.

**_Summary_**_**:**_They met when she was in high school at the sweet age of sixteen. Their encounter was purely by coincidence, but is there such a thing in this world? Now, two years later, at the tender age of eighteen, as the world is shook to a bloody end, Sakura meet him once again. How can love prevail and for them to be together forever when the end is so near? SxS

**Pandora's Heart**

**Chapter 1**

_Angel._

_Even before I see him, I knew something was happening. I could feel it. It's coming closer as every second passes. My heart is thumping loudly in my chest... so loud that I feel as if it will leap out to chase after him. It was preparing me for the moment that is about to come._

_I was on my knees, hands on the dirty sand-filled ground, grouching as I stared upward. The wind was blowing... a strong wind. So strong it pushes all my long, thick honey coloured hair flying behind me. The sand was powerless as it is abused by the power of the wind and could do nothing, but let go and go where it may. I can barely feel the scratches on my body; the physical pain seems distant and unreal. The pounding of my heart numbed me to the core. As he descends to the ground, I knew, this is it._

XXXX

'_Hey, hey. Do you know what happened when Pandora box was opened? Do you remember what you saw then? Remember? Remember!'_

The day was blue; a very nice breezy baby blue. Laying flat on the ground, she was enjoying the beauty of nothingness. Closing her eyes, she could see a thousand colours flashing through her. The images she saw – no, felt – was in random, unnamed patterns. It was as if all she needed to do was reach out and heaven would be in the palm of her hand. Then, that brought the question, what is heaven?

Heaven is white, filled with endless and endless of – seemingly – soft and comfy clouds. There are tales where winged beings would be lying on one of these countless clouds for napping. Or there are those tales that claimed cloud tasted like fairy floss; sweet and soft. Then not far from those clouds, a floating island surrounded by a golden power wielding gate stood... on air. Oh, the possibilities. People always described how heaven looked like, how it could be, but has anyone been there before? She snickered at this thought. If anyone ever made it, they wouldn't be back and retell the tale anyway. But why do people make up thoughts and illusions of something they have no knowledge of?

She continued her attempts to grab unseen objects purely made from her imagination. She giggled, made small and soft sounds as they slipped out of her grasp. Completely unaware, a man – or was he a boy? – stood not far from her watching her with amusement. His dark locks waved involuntarily, powerless against the soft breeze. He closed his eyes momentarily, imagining what could possibly be going through her mind. He couldn't. All he saw was pit black, with not a single light.

A sudden movement caught his attention. He opened his eyes to see her hand outstretched, palm opened facing the sky. For a moment, he thought time stopped. He didn't move an inch, fearing that... he had no idea what. Merely 3 seconds had passed, although it felt much longer, he heard her release of breath. It was soft, so soft that unless with a keen hearing such as his, no one would have caught it.

With an unknown resolution, he made his way toward her. He was no shy person. He never had problems approaching girls or anyone for that matter. He so often approached girls for their sake more than his. He could always feel their gaze, the way their eyes would violate his clothed body and stunning features. They had no idea he was not a mere human that they can possess; they may serve him, but they will not rein him under their control. More often than not, despite the obvious stares and desires, none would approach him. For future benefits, though certainly theirs, he would approach the little helpless lambs instead.

One hand by her side, flat against the ground, with the other palm facing the wide sky, she emptied her head. She didn't want to think of anything. Scientifically, a person's head is never really empty, even when asleep, but she doesn't believe so. Screw scientists. She gave them no thoughts aside from the benefits – no, additional features – they may have brought the world; the technology, the medicine. Even if they presented the most valid evidence, it did little aside from wasting her time. They are entitled to dream up their world, she is for hers. It seems though, they cannot comprehend, least respect, such individualistic. Verbal declaration does nothing more than take up air as they argued that they do respect her opinion. She has encountered things these experts will simply be unable to answer.

Distracted, although satisfied, by the lack of light as a shadow hovered above her, she pulled back her hand and snapped her eyes opened. Her bright green eyes meet a dark pair. From the distance and contrast of lightings, any colour he possessed would have seemed dark anyhow.

Silently, she pushed herself up and quickly turned to look at him. Her eyes were wide, the hint of innocence, stared at him. Although tempted to start a conversation, he held his tongue. He simply looked at her, face void of emotion. She titled her head to the side, feigning curiosity at his presence. In truth, she didn't care. She was simply a little put off at the disturbance.

She smiled kindly at him, "Hi."

"Hi." He muffled; his voice was indistinguishable as his face remained impassive.

Silence fell.

"Do you need something?" she said, noting that he was being quite uncooperative regarding the norm of communication and interaction.

He thought about that question. He wasn't sure why he approached her. Normally, even if someone did something mostly out of the ordinary, he would barely cast them a glance before moving on. Without thinking about his body language, he kneeled down to be at a fairer eye-level.

Now that he was at a fairer distance, she confirmed that his eyes were a beautiful shade; light, yet far darker with a distinct shadow than any she has seen. It was amber, with long and thick eyelashes hovering above it while containing a hollowness that intrigued her. This genuine curiosity surprised her. Her being has lack genuine feelings for so long, such honest sentiments weighted heavily on her. Maybe it was because of the suddenness of being caught off guard, but when he spoke, the sound of his voice – elegance, strong and smooth – made a slight rumble in her stomach.

"What were you trying to reach?"

Unable to provide an immediate answer, she stayed quiet. She thought about his question. No one has ever asked her something like that, not even close, not in this context or any other. Since no one asked, she never thought deeply about it, but she can only imagine what the answer might be now. "Close your eyes."

He did. He didn't know why he listened to some stranger, but he did.

"What do you see?"

Without hesitation, he said, "Darkness. Bottomless darkness."

"Exactly."

He opened his eyes and looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Whatever your imagination gives you."

Not fully understanding what she means, he simply shrugged off his question and sat himself beside her. Feeling a little awkward, she wondered whether he expected her to lie back down and continued her reaching attempts. Not feeling up to the test, she stood up and brushed herself off, "Well, I got to go."

"Got to go? Or want to go?"

This made her smile. His uncooperative nature and straightforwardness made her like him tenfold. People who completely disregard society's expectations excite her to no ends.

"Want to, dominates." She slowly set herself back down, "But I changed my mind."

They set into a comfortable silence. Weirdly comfortable. Not only that you do not lapse into a comfortable silence when conversing with strangers, you do not generally find their presence heart warming either. Well, unless you are sitting far apart – or next to each other due to compelling circumstances – and have no care toward your surrounding then that is a different issue.

"Do you come here often?" he decided to break the silence. He spoke to her in such a natural way that it felt like they were friends even before this encounter.

"Hmmm..." she pondered, "I'm not sure, but I came here today because I thought no one would be here." She smiled sweetly at him, hinting that she was not trying to offend him, "Guess I was wrong."

They lapsed into another silence. This one was as comfortable.

"Oh no," she suddenly gasped, "I forgot the basic." She knocked herself lightly, "I always do." She turned to him, "What is your name?"

"Isn't it the norm that you introduce yourself first?"

She laughed in a sound so bright and clear that as it enters his ears, it seems his brain cleared up a bit as well. "I was actually thinking of the same thing." Pulling her leg into her chest, she rested the side of her face lightly on top of her knee, "My name is Kinomoto Sakura."

"Syaoran. Just Syaoran."

"So 'just'-san," she smirked, "Where did you come from? I've never seen someone with such shadowed eyes."

It wasn't very funny and it was fairly cheesy, but for the first time in his entire life, he laughed a genuine laugh, just as loud and clear as hers.

XXXX

_2 years later_

In her room, dark and alone, she lay deep asleep. She was dreaming and it was no ordinary dream. She heard voices, familiar voices, but voices that she cannot place a name upon. When awoken, the memory of the dream left her as mysteriously as it has arrived. She can't seem to record the details, but it left her feeling alone and empty. She felt like she can see the world for what it really is, not what she wished it would be.

That means she can feel the world rotting. A million times she screamed inside her mind for someone to notice and a million times, no one answered her. Was she the only one that can sense the odour emitting from the four corner of the earth as it rots? Or is it that people simply refused to accept the truth? Human have a poor habit of taking things for granted and continuously ask for more and more, all the while, hesitating in giving back.

When left alone and surrounded by silence, with not even the ticking hands of the clock, she can hear it: the warning. The world will end. Before our very eyes, the world shall end. It will end in a silent scream, a scream so silent that you will be consumed by darkness. A scream so piercing that although you cannot hear it, it will deafen your ears. A scream that is drown in complete darkness and insanity.

"Hoe..." she quickly covered her eyes.

"What are you doing?"

Her long honeyed hair spread beneath her and she groaned. "5 more minutes, please..."

"Wake up, Sakura! You told me to wake you at noon."

"Do you remember why?"

Sumi, her roommate, laughed, "You got work!"

Oh, that's right. Work. Sakura looked hazily at Sumi, her friend with shoulder length hair and large brown eyes, not fully awake, "Do you have breakfast?"

"You mean lunch?"

"No. Breakfast." Sakura remained firm, grinning at her roommate.

Sumi rolled her eyes. "There's some bread, bacon in the kitchen." Sumi walked out and, unconcernedly, slammed the door shut with more force than necessary. "Self serve."

Sakura rubbed her temple, trying yet again to remember her dream. Every time, she would try. Every time, she would fail. Forgotten dreams are nothing new, but this dream always left her feeling alone, yet with a tinge of... unfamiliar feeling that provoked her curiosity. Giving up with a heavy sigh, Sakura pushed herself out of bed and got ready.

Stepping out of the shower with a towel wrapped around her curve and feeling refreshed, she pop on a simple white dress that flowed just above her knees and held her upper body with ease.

With a piece of toast in her mouth, she quickly grabbed her bag with her uniform and moved towards the entrance door. Before turning the knob, something clicked in her head. She turned slightly as she pulled the toast from her mouth, knowing Sumi is there, sitting on the sofa, enjoying her new novel, "Sumi?"

"Nani?"

"What was in Pandora box when it was opened?"

Sumi raised her eyebrow, "Where did that come from? Something wrong with you?"

Sakura smiled lightly. There are so many ways to answer the latter question. "I had a dream so I just wanted to know if you know."

"How would I know?"

"Because you read a lot. Bye." Sakura turned the door knob and walked out.

Not before hearing a mutter, "I think they said it was catastrophe."

Coincidentally, the elevator opened just as she closed the door. She quickly stepped inside the humid cubicle and stared off into space.

Catastrophe.

Catastrophe.

The word kept spinning in her head. Sakura turned and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair were long and had volume, her eyes were a bright green, but why did the depth seem so dull? Her lips were parted slightly as she stared beyond the skin surrounding her. Why did her eyes look so lifeless? When did it become so?

She remembered hearing a story how Pandora box was opened, many different versions really. Like all other tales, there were many versions, but which one was real? She had no idea. Not like anyone else does. But were any of the versions even real? One thing in common with all the tales is that, when Pandora box was opened, the greed, the lust, vengeance, anger, dishonesty and all these polluted thoughts consumed the world. The livings situated on this planet were unable to resist the temptation and cause the originally loving world to the way it is today. When something with this much impact occurs, someone will definitely be blamed. That is how people live, because if you don't blame others, how can you tell yourself that it isn't your fault so that you can go on living as ignorant as you can. Should Pandora be blamed? Or should the person who gave Pandora the box itself to be blamed? Better yet, the people that was weak enough to fall prey to the corrupted nature of this box, should they be left guilt-free?

Then again, Sakura didn't think that holding someone responsibility was the focus of her dream. Because, regardless of all that, before whatever the world believed to have escaped Pandora, there was something.

_Remember? Remember!_

Sakura jolted, slightly, out of her dream-like thought. Did someone say something? Or was that purely her imagination? Without giving her more time to ponder, the announcer warned her that she has reached ground. So distracted from her thought, she stepped out and headed toward her part-time job.

XXXX

"Going straight home, kaijuu?"

Sending him a glare, Sakura replied, "Who are you talking to?"

Touya made a show of glancing around, "Well, I only see one kaijuu here." Expertly, he dodged Sakura's attack by pulling his foot away. "See," he started, "No human can move like you. Took me years of practice to dodge."

Sakura turned her head from him. She noticed his black and untamed hair was slightly damped with sweat. People always commented on how her big brother and she were so alike, both appearances and personalities. But Sakura thinks that they couldn't be any more different. Although not obviously seen, Touya was satisfied and happy with life. Particularly, when looking at Yukito, his dark eyes were like a pair of diamond; they shone with so such power and passion for life that it causes Sakura to take a step back, making sure that her soul won't be burned. Not that Sakura was unhappy, but she simply did not have the passion he does. Sakura didn't know why; she had her best friend; Tomoyo, a gorgeous unseeingly caring older brother; Touya, an as-good-as-family presence; Yukito, a gentle and kind father and many honest friends surrounding her. There was nothing she could complain about and something she made sure to express her gratitude for every day. Then why? Why was she like this? She had no idea.

"I'll take you home." Touya ruffled her hair, "Kaijuu."

"You can as long as there is no ulterior motive."

"I need dinner covered tonight. Yukito is busy; I don't want to bother him. His essay is due soon."

Sakura laughed, "Sumi is cooking tonight."

Touya raised his eyebrow, "And when does she not? Besides, I can't risk eating your food anyway."

As she was about to once again, though futile, stomp his foot, she was interrupted by Yue calling her, "C'mon, Sakura, Touya! I want to go home."

As they exited, Yue quickly turned on the security system and they made their way home. Sakura and her brother worked at this gourmet restaurant for quite a while now and the owner is Yue Reed; of Everlasting. This was a successful business as Yue owns many other franchises across Japan and with the intention of going global. Yue gathered the best of the best of the world and brought it to one place. Many critics from around the world travel far and wide to his principal store just to have a taste of his skills. With skills and precision, Yue had soared the corporate ladder quickly... and with ease.

"Cold?" Yue asked.

Sakura shivered lightly, "Yeah." Wordlessly, Yue tear his jacket from his arms and placed it on Sakura. Naturally, she slipped her arms into the socket and zip up the jacket. "Thank you." She smiled sweetly up at him. She felt small as she reined her head to look ahead. Yue stood at 6'1" and Sakura was a little over a whole foot shorter than him. Although feeling small, she also felt warm and safe because Yue always looked like he can stop the whole world from collapsing on her. Maybe a little exaggerated there, but that is beside the point.

"I'll take you home."

"Touya will."

Yue glanced at Touya and shrugged, "Right." Yue remembered that Yukito asked for the week off to finish his assignment.

"Sakura." Rika called out softly as she settled in step beside Sakura. With encouragement and help from Sakura, Rika has started working at Everlasting since two months ago. At the time, heartbroken by the neglect of her lover, Terada-sensei – ex-teacher; their homeroom teacher when they were still in elementary school – Rika was looking for solace. What better way to occupy her mind than by working diligently? "Thank you for encouraging me in taking this job. It really helps."

Sakura gave Rika a gentle smile, "Don't worry about it. How are you and Terada-sensei?"

Rika smiled as she reminisced about the events of the past two months, "We are engaged."

Sakura widened her eyes and gasped, "Hoe..." Speechlessly, she stopped walking and turned to Rika. Sakura grabbed Rika's hands and held it between hers. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. The look in Rika's eyes was priceless. The happiness she is feeling will not be justified by words. At a loss for words, all Sakura could breathe out was, "Are you happy?"

Rika blinked at her and with a paused, her lips spread into the gentlest smile Sakura has seen, yet. "Yes."

"Am I invited?"

Rika giggled and pulled her hands out of Sakura's grasp and held Sakura's hands between them instead, "Of course!"

Her loved one's happiness gave her more joy than anything else in the world. When Sakura found out about the relationship between her sensei and Rika, Sakura was surprised. There were so many hints, why did she never notice? After finding out, Sakura thought about the things Rika have said about an older lover and found herself dense for not realising it sooner. Apparently, Tomoyo have noticed and was not surprised when it was revealed. Tomoyo simply smiled and wished Rika the best. While surprised, Sakura was quickly overcome with joy when she realised how much happiness her friend had and although there were painful times, they were together. Frankly, that is the only thing that really matters.

Excited, unable to contain herself much longer, Sakura squealed, "Wedding dress, have you thought of it yet? Venue? Suit? Ah!" Sakura had no idea where her thoughts were leading her.

Rika giggled and they resumed walking, "We haven't thought of that yet. Sensei and I still haven't got our families' approval." Although a sad thought, Rika continued walking with her head held high and a light smile across her face.

Sakura blinked, out of her excitement zone and glanced at Rika. There was not much she could say and in all honesty, she didn't quite understand Rika's complications. Noticing Rika's focus toward the wide opened road, Sakura followed her gaze. In front of them were countless strangers that they will not be able to recognise later. The road is dark and they cannot see quite well the further they tried to look, but they knew where they were headed. Sakura smiled. She realised, there wasn't really a need to say anything, Rika had made her resolve. All Sakura needed to do was let her know she is here whenever Rika need supports or refreshed motivation.

"You know where I live."

Pulled out of her thought, Rika blinked in surprise, "I do."

As they share a heart warming smile, below their feet, the earth rumbled.

XxSxSxXXxSxSxX

**Author Note:**

Yay! First chapter is done! First of all, thank you for taking your time out to read this!

Well, I actually been having this plot for awhile in my head. It's been running for a while, but never really got it down as I wanted. I do have a draft before this one which was from Sakura's POV, but when I was re-reading it, it didnt satisfy me at all. I've been stuck and didn' t know what was missing. Then I decided to write it from third person since I wanted to hear other characters thought, so this brought me here. I actually joined way back, but I stopped logging on for awhile due to personal reason and when I started my obsession with reading again, I realised I forgot the username and password for my account! Not only that, I had so many emails, I had no idea which one I signed up with XD Anyway this is my first story in third person and one with a detailed plot. I usually only write one shot or short stories for my own and friends enjoyment. Feeling a bit daring at the moment, I decided to post this up! I have no idea how this is gona flare here so I'm so nervous right now! Please read and review and I really love to know what you guys think! Updates (if I dont decide to drop it due to poor popularity) will depends on reviews since I'm writing this in hope that there are people who would read it. And if you read it, please let me know you like it or not! It's real good for morale and motivation! I welcome good and bad reviews. Flame is fine, but please no swearing? (would that still be flame?) Constructive criticism is definitely welcome!

I love readers' input as well so if you want something to change or add, please let me know!

I think I'm talking too much for my first story, not to mention chapter XD

R&R ARIGATOU!

Ja ne,

angel 0f darknes


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer: **_I can only wish that I owe CCS and sadly, I don't. If I do, I would draw/make another manga/anime series focusing on the beautiful love between Syaoran and Sakura, but I guess they did just that with Tsubasa Chronicle though. That certainly quenched my thirst! (Or maybe not since I'm writing this...Going off topic it seem, anyway) But currently, this seems undoable since I am a poor student and that is why I _'Unleash My Imagination'_ here.

_**Summary:**_They met when she was in high school at the sweet age of sixteen. Their encounter was purely by coincidence, but is there such a thing in this world? Now, two years later, at the tender age of eighteen, as the world is shook to a bloody end, Sakura meet him once again. How can love prevail and for them to be together forever when the end is so near? SxS

**Pandora's Heart**

**Chapter 2**

_The night sky is beautiful. It took my breath away. The stars that nobody can see without having a hard time suddenly shone brighter than the surrounding city lights. The earth rumbled and cried for help. An earthquake. A sign. The world shall end._

Awoken to a deafening silence, Sakura rubbed her eyes and rolled over, hoping to go back to sleep. Today, classes were cancelled. The disaster that took place last night put many people in a state of panic and attending school or college was the last thing on anyone's mind.

"Come out and see this!" Sumi said, her voice conflicted, filled with excitement, but also tainted with fear, curiosity and nervousness. Looking at her, Sakura felt as if she could literally see the fear pumping through her adrenaline, slowly seeping from the core of her heart and reaching out toward all edges of her body.

Lazily and not quite as curious or excited, Sakura slowly dragged her feet to the lounge room. Surprised at the number of occupants, but with low blood pressure in the morning, Sakura silently acknowledged the people in the room as she settled down onto the sofa.

"So you made it kaijuu." Touya taunted. Too tired to reply, Sakura brushed off his reply with an energetic glare.

Sumi grabbed the remote and raised the volume of the television as everyone watched in silence. The screen was dominated by a man in suit who had a frown pasted on his face. The screen soon transited to a large building out in Tokyo and it was obvious that camera was not able to hold its ground as it shook vigorously and fell over. The people in the background was yelling, obviously panicking as they ran all over the place, hoping to find shelter. They looked like lost sheep as they ran aimlessly, falling constantly as they were unable to stand against the shook.

Booming above the noise was the voice of the man in suit from before, elaborating on what people already know, "Outside Tokyo where at the time of happenings, many people were occupying the street, we were able to film the incident. The ground was shaking ferociously; people were unable to stand firmly on the ground, falling constantly. What should be noted is that the earthquake was too sudden, no research was able to predict and reports show that this earthquake has the largest magnitude we had in the last century. Interestingly, despite this, it had no effects whatsoever in the affected areas. Reporting live: prefectures affected included Tokyo, Kyoto, Hokkaido and Hiroshima amongst others. There were no splits on the ground, collapse of buildings or even any casualty. It was as if nothing has happen. Here with us is Doctor Yamamoto who might be able to ex..."

The screen flashed back to the man in suit, now joined by 'Doctor Yamamoto' as they began discussing the odd earthquake occurrence. Sumi had turned off the television, interrupting their discussion as she turned to the occupants of her apartment.

Finally, Sakura revived some of her energy and scanned the room once again. She realised she was sitting between Touya and Tomoyo, with Yukito standing behind the sofa. To her left, a single seat sofa was occupied by her friend, Rika, with Sumi seated on her right. Rika decided to stay over Sakura's place after the earthquake as advised by Yoshiyuki Terada, now her fiancée. Gripping the armrest worriedly, she hasn't heard from Yoshiyuki since last night after the phone conversation. He has said that he will come over to see her as soon as circumstances allow. Even Yukito has abandoned his assignment and rushed over at an early hour. Standing against the wall with his arms crossed, not far away was Yue. He felt he shouldn't leave Sakura on her own at such a moment.

"What do you guys think happened last night?" Sumi asked.

Sakura sighed heavily, "Sumi, what's for breakfast?"

Sumi walked over and smacked Sakura's head – well, attempted to, but was stopped by Touya's glare as her hand hover over Sakura's head. Hesitated, she withdraw her arm and dropped it beside her, "You piss me off."

"Yoshiyuki..." Rika whispered. She was more worried about his delayed more than anything else. She hasn't given much thought on the odd event; the only thing occupying her mind was where Yoshiyuki could possibly be right now.

Sighing, Sumi walked back to her seat and entwined her fingers, "I'm scared." She whispered, and though softly, did not escape anyone's ear. "It's strange. The earthquake... it was so strong. I thought for sure I was going to die last night and when it stopped, it's like nothing even happened. There were no consequences! It doesn't make sense!"

"Are you telling me you want buildings to collapse and people to die?" Sakura commented. That was simply a thoughtless comment, but it seemed to offend Sumi as Sumi sent her a death glare.

"I'm just saying that this is like the peace before a storm. And this storm will be greater and worst than the amount of people or buildings that we could have lost last night."

Sakura yawned loudly, making no attempt to hide her annoyance at being awoken for such trivial reason. Tomoyo sweat dropped, knowing Sumi will be further pushed on edge. It's a wonder how the two of them could be sharing an apartment together.

"You think this is trivial?" Sumi snapped, "Sakura! This is a bad omen!"

Ignoring Sumi, Touya turned to Sakura, "I called father last night when you went to sleep, and he's all right. He said he didn't even noticed the earthquake; seems he was asleep."

"How carefree." Sakura smiled at the thought of her kind father.

"No!" Sumi interrupted, "How can _you _guys be so carefree? You know... this could mean... well..." Sumi stumbled on her words.

"The world is coming to an end?" Sakura suggested, smiling, feeling helpful. This attitude did nothing except further agitate Sumi. Although Sumi was slightly taken aback by Sakura's blunt outburst, her annoyance towards the honey haired girl overruled any surprise.

Sumi opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Sakura's statement has simply ended the conversation, leaving the rest to each imagination. Nothing more can be said. There was no proof for or against her words. People simply need to take a stand now.

"I don't understand." Finding the lack of replies in the room, Sakura didn't quite understand the depth. "Everything is bound to end. We all know that. So why is it that people are still so afraid of something that they have expected to happen all this time?"

An awkward silence hung in the air, deep in their thoughts and nobody even realised a conversation was dying. Suddenly, from the wall, Yue walked over to the couch and placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder, "Breakfast?"

Feeling happy that someone noticed her hunger, Sakura smiled sweetly at Yue, "Yes, please."

"Go freshen up and I'll be ready when you're done." Yue started making his way towards the kitchen. Silently, Touya stood from his seat and approached Yue as Sakura went for privacy.

Sensing Touya behind him, Yue decided to ignore his presence until the dark hair man decides he would start speaking. Yue pulled out a rubber band from his pocket and swiftly wrap up his beautiful long silver hair, trailing behind him.

Though appearing ignorant, Touya knew Yue was waiting for him to speak. Scrambling and deciphering jumbled up words in his head, Touya was not sure where to start. Touya was not even sure about the silver hair man's feelings. Is it all right to assume the worst already?

"Yue..." Touya began.

Wordlessly, Yue turned around to face Touya. For awhile now, he has been expecting a – hopefully – civil conversation with Touya, but decided against it when Touya seemed unsure. Yue had an idea where this conversation may lead to and was prepared to carry it to the end.

"Tell me your disposition towards Sakura." Touya decided getting to the point right away was the best choice. Frankly, he doesn't like any men getting near his sister, no matter how good-looking or suitable. His baby sister, if it were up to him, will forever remain his baby sister. No man on earth is worthy of having her and the thought of a strange man possessing his loved one drives Touya insane. Touya knows that if Sakura so desire to, he would be powerless in stopping the developing relationship... with a currently faceless man. But, to his last breath, he is unlikely to ever treat that particular faceless man with civility.

Touya played a huge part in bringing Sakura up after the loss of his mother, Nadeshiko Kinomoto. He watched her grow from a gorgeous baby into a beautiful young girl, if not a physically bigger baby. But, yes, she is still a girl, far from being a woman. He was there the moment she took her first step, spoke her first word and ran her first metre. He watched her move from elementary school, to middle and now, high school. He saw her grow into her first crush on Yukito and saw it faded when she entered middle school. He saw Sakura's heart which was once filled with energy, turned into a distant and cold one. Touya detested himself whenever he thought of that and it further infuriate him that he couldn't save her from whatever she had tangled herself in. So now, the very least, he wanted to make sure that she will not be harmed by any men; his boss or not.

He planned to draw out and confirm Yue's feelings and prevent any further advances if his suspicion was confirmed to not be simply suspicion. And Touya had every intention to execute his plan.

XXXX

With shaking hands and a wild imagination, Rika pulled out her cell phone and dialled Yoshiyuki's number. Why is he so late? What could possibly be delaying him? "Yoshiyuki... Yoshiyuki..." Rika muttered repeatedly. After the fifth ring of her eighth call, Rika was getting even more anxious. Her heart was racing, thumping loudly, loud enough to make her feel as if people can hear it. Her fear tore at her. Frightened, Rika collapsed as silent tears trailed down her face and she held her face in her hands.

Tomoyo quickly approached the distressed girl and pulled Rika into her chest. Softly patting her back in hope of soothing her, Tomoyo frowned. _Where could Terada-sensei possibly be?_ Knowing no comfort words can cheer Rika; Tomoyo simply held onto Rika and be a form of support for her.

When the bell rang, without hesitation, Rika sprung and swung the door open, "Yoshiyuki!"

"Rika!" Looking dishevelled, Yoshiyuki was obviously out of breath.

"Yoshiyuki!" Rika jumped into his arms. Yoshiyuki quickly gathered Rika into an embrace and squeezed her tight as Tomoyo retreated to give them privacy. When he realised she was stranded in the middle of Tokyo when the earthquake occurred, all blood was drained from him. The fear that he might not see her again scared him senseless. Now that she is in his arm, her warmth emanating from her and wrapped around him, his heart was calmed and he couldn't be happier.

Worriedly and reluctantly, he pulled away and searched Rika for any possible injuries, "Are you okay? Did you get hurt?"

"No, no, I'm fine. What about you?" Struggling against his hold, she attempted to search her beloved for any wounds, but he quickly grabbed her wrists and pulled her into his arms.

"No, no, you're fine and that's the only thing that matters!"

XXXX

Sakura enjoyed the feel of water drops on her body as she closed her eyes. She wetted her hair and slowly patted it. The droplet of water felt as if it massaged her shoulder and removed the tension that has gathered on her back. Breathing a sigh of pleasure, hinted with regret, she turned off the water faucet and stepped outside the tub. She wrapped a large pink towel around her body and walked towards her cupboard. With little care, Sakura picked a knee length white dress and draped it on. Grabbing a brush from her vanity mirror, she quickly untangled her hair with speed and ease. When she caught her eyes in the mirror, she paused and stared at her reflection. Although the reflection was hers, she found the person she saw strange and somewhat unfamiliar. Slowly, she reached out, forgetting that all she could reach would be a cold, hard base. Sakura traced her index finger on the glass, as if with a little patience, her finger could go through the mirror.

"Sakura!" Yue interrupted her trance. Sakura quickly stood up and made her way back to the lounge room.

As she walked out, Sakura ignored the swell of emotion somewhere in her chest, like something creeping and twirling as if teasing her emotions. Not aware of the premonition this emotion was trying to tell her.

XXXX

"Breakfast, breakfast, what's for breakfast?" Sakura sang cheerfully. Beautifully set in front of her in the middle was a steamed bowl of rice with a bowl of miso soup on the right hand side. Not too far from it, shining a little brighter than the other two bowls was a bowl filled with tamagoyaki. Sakura squealed, "My favourite!"

"I thought kaijuu don't discriminate."

Sakura sent Touya a glare, "Onii-chan..." she growled. Quickly remembering the chef of the morning, Sakura was sidetracked from her insult and gave Yue a warm and shy smile, "Thank you, Yue-san."

"No problem." Yue then walked out toward the lounge and stood against the wall near the kitchen where he is still able to keep an eye on Sakura.

After taking a couple of spoonful of rice and a sip of miso soup, Sakura glanced up. She noticed Yoshiyuki sitting on the sofa with Rika in his arms. "Terada-sensei is here?"

Sitting opposite from her, Tomoyo nodded, "He panicked; seems like something bad was holding him up."

Sitting next to them was Sumi, still silent and has not moved an inch since Sakura left to her room. She didn't seem to be in this world anymore and was simply staring out into space and didn't make any indication of noticing the new presence of Yoshiyuki and the snuggling couple beside her.

"What's your plan for the day?" Sakura initiated a conversation with Tomoyo.

Tomoyo's eyes immediately twinkled with excitement, "I was actually thinking of designing a new outfit for you!" then sighed sadly, "But with the earthquake, everyone is so heated up, even Yue-san decided to close the restaurant for the day. I decided to rush here as soon as I heard the news."

Sakura nodded.

Tomoyo then sent her a haughty smile, "Though I must say I'm surprised to find Yue-san here. What happened?"

Unaware of Tomoyo's layered intention; Sakura answered by providing her with facts, "We were on our way home after work when the earthquake happened. Then after shaking for an hour or so, we were too shocked to move." With the magnitude of the tremble, no one could really stand straight and even if they did, they would be kissing the ground soon after. Despite the obvious result, people still panicked and splattered all over the place. Cars stopped, ignoring all traffic lights and what they have learnt from their driving instructor, in the middle of the road after one, two, three, four and maybe more lost control and crushed against the sideline. Being more prone to giving up, Sakura, Touya, Yue and Rika grabbed onto a nearby pole and sat down for better measure. Touya and Yue were acting as barrier for the girls as they stood behind with arms and body hovering above Sakura and Rika while looking out for the slightest signs of building collapsing or any danger approaching. If so, even if all they could do was to crawl, they had every intention of dragging the two girls away.

"You're exaggerating, Sakura." Tomoyo smiled, "It was 16 minutes."

Sakura smiled, "It felt like an hour." Tomoyo giggled, "Or so." Sakura added as an afterthought. "Then Touya being Touya insisted on coming over to my place for the night. Yue-san decided to join him. And I'm not one to question my boss." Sakura smiled sheepishly now. "Rika was also with us at the time. Yukito was already here when I woke up before."

Deciding that there was no way of getting through to the emerald-eyes girl; Tomoyo simply chuckled to herself and drop the teasing process. As they continued chatting, Rika approached them, "Yoshiyuki and I are thinking of staying with you, Sakura, Tomoyo. He said he had a bad feeling and he found this incident odd so he thought it's better to be in groups."

Sakura nodded, understanding Yoshiyuki's fear, "Of course. That would be great! I would like to..." Sakura trailed off as her attention is diverted.

From the wall, Yue immediately straightened his back as he felt a strong aura; a strong, powerful aura. Sensing great danger, he turned sharply towards Sakura, his grey eyes piercing and his mind ran through a thousand possibilities of this aura. The aura was familiar, but at the same time, completely different. He noticed Sakura's mid-pronounced sentence and her absentminded staring. Worried, Yue took a step closer to Sakura and was taken aback as Sakura dashed towards the entrance doorway. Maybe due to the sudden nature of the circumstances, with no time for hesitation, Yue followed suit.

"Sakura!" "Sakura-chan!" "Sakura!" Her name was being thrown in the air with urgency. Worried and confused, Sakura's family and friends had little time to wonder as they quickly ran after her. Even Sumi, although unsure of what was going on, quickly ran out, fearing being by herself at this moment.

"Let's follow her!" Yoshiyuki muttered as he let Rika go with a soft push so she could run ahead. They still have not noticed the disaster taking place.

Eyes greased with concern, Rika nodded and ran after her friends. Yoshiyuki, obviously wanted to follow after his beloved, but his steps were interrupted as a scorching pain ran through him. Yoshiyuki groaned and pressed his hand against the left of his stomach. Slowly, he removed his hand when he felt something damp and a clingy feeling. Staring down at his hand, blood was running from the tip of his fingers, down his palm then wrist and under the sleeve of his jacket. Yoshiyuki bit his lip to stop himself from groaning out loud and against his wish – as he fought the temptation desperately – Yoshiyuki fell to the ground and blacked out.

A glint outside the window had caught her eyes and overcame with a strange sensation, Sakura dashed out. Not exactly sure where to go and what she was looking for, Sakura blindly carried out her search purely based on instinct. _Something is coming, _the thought haunted her even when she was unsure of what was it that was coming. _Closer and closer. I can feel it! _Despite the lack of stamina, Sakura ran as if her life depended on it; as fast as her legs could carry her.

While being inside the comforted home of Sakura, no one had noticed the approaching tornado that was consuming the city lights. Cars were being sucked in, twirling round and round as metal bins, poles, even trees and people followed suit. Fearing what would happen to them if they were sucked in, people ran away, yelling, screaming, fear consuming their thoughts and their survival instinct was being stretched to its potential. Finally, in hearing distance, from the major wreck of the city, they heard unintelligible screams and in front of them were a scene purely encapsulated from a painting with the theme of disaster.

When Touya was able to spot his little sister running not far from his standing, he raced after her, "Sakura!" He didn't even notice Yue was a couple of feet ahead of him already. What no one realised was how could Sakura possibly run for this long without Yue or Touya catching up? The length of their legs is an obvious point, but more importantly, their stamina was considerably different.

Without warning, Sakura froze as she took long and loud intakes of breath; panting. She didn't know why or how she knows it, but she knew. Where she is standing will take her to where she wanted to be. Grabbing onto the shiny pink chain around her neck, she muttered to herself, "O the key that holds the power of the stars, reveal your true form to me." Shining brightly from beneath her, appeared a large circle with a star in the centre, a crescent moon on the left, a detailed sun on the right and complex patterns. The light from her eyes faded, as if under possession as she loses consciousness, "I, Sakura, command thee under contract, release!" The once small rounded shape key chain turned into a long pink wand with little wings spread on top. If this was on an ordinary day, people would be staring at her with awed and terror, but now, too scared for the safety of their life, no one noticed anything else.

Grabbing her arm, Yue called out, finding Sakura looking a bit unusual, "Sakura!"

Startled by the sudden interruption, Sakura regained the light in her eyes, but stayed frozen on her spot as the circle beneath her disappeared.

"Sakura!" Yue turned her around, facing him. "What's wrong? What are you doing? That light..! No... Are you okay?" Yue raised his voice, trying to stay above the sound of their surroundings. Yue was rendered speechless when he looked into Sakura's eyes. She seemed distant and far, obviously not hearing a word he had said.

Sakura was not attentive, not even realising the things unfolding around her. All she could hear was the sound of the approaching tornado, wheezing and gentle. She closed her eyes to shut down her consciousness and the last thing she remembers was a tender pair of arms caged around her protectively.

XxSxSxXXxSxSxX

**Author's Note:**

Phew posted as planned!

First of all, I am so happy about the 2 reviews I got from MusicAngel92 and krazypig91! Very encouraging and positive! I hope you will continue to enjoy the story.

This chapter was a bit slow, but guess what! They're meeting again next chapter! LOOK FORWARD TO IT! I AM! YAY! I so want to go straight into the meeting part and just start writing about their romance, but that might ruin the plot so I;m building up to it. xD/T.T I felt that this chapter didn't explore Sakura very well, but at the same I thought it did. Contradicting... xD

I will update the next chapter as soon as I can. I just need some smoothing out and editing at the moment so it shouldn't be long. Although I have a lot of homework, its fine, since its homework. xD

One last thing, i changed the summary a bit since i thought it suited the story more, but thats not important so just ignore it. I thought i just mention it here.

Anyway, thats it! Hope you enjoyed it and please review!

Ja ne

angel 0f darknes


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